Cha-om.

Cha-om is the young shoot tip of a thorny climbing shrub, and it's sold in Thai markets as a loose bundle of soft, feathery leaves. Raw, it has a strong smell that some people find sulphurous and others love. Once it hits the pan the smell mellows into something savoury and green. Most Thai households know it from one dish above all, the thick cha-om omelette, cut into squares and dipped in shrimp paste chilli dip.

Ways to use it

• Pick the soft leaves off the stems, beat them into eggs and fry as a thick omelette.
• Put the cha-om omelette squares into kaeng som, the sour curry, so they soak up the broth.
• Blanch the young shoots and serve them with nam prik kapi.
• Stir fry it with egg, or add it to a jungle curry near the end.

Storing it

Cha-om wilts quickly. Keep the shoots unwashed in a container lined with paper towels in the fridge drawer and use them within 1 to 2 days. The stems often carry small thorns, so strip the leaves carefully, then wash them under running water just before cooking.

Where it comes from

Grown to certified organic standards. The certificate for each lot is shown when you trace your pack.

Every pack will carry a lot code. Enter it on the Trace your pack page and you will see the farms in that lot, the harvest date and the certificate.